Coming into the season the Red Sox had a lot of questions. Had the team adequately addressed its shortcomings from last season? Could some of the clubs younger players really take a step forward? Is it possible this group could actually exceed expectations and claw its way out of the basement?
This weekend we finally started getting some answers.
If you weren’t able to stay up late for the club’s season-opening series out in Seattle, you missed some good baseball. The Red Sox and Mariners split the four-game set, and all four games were competitive, well-pitched affairs that left both sides with a lot to be encouraged by. Here are five takeaways from the Red Sox side.
Starters go the distance
The biggest question coming into the season was how the starting rotation would fare once the rubber hit the road, and while one weekend is far too small a sample size to draw any firm conclusions, we can certainly say so far so good.
Through four games the Red Sox starters collectively allowed four runs over 22 innings (1.64 ERA) while tallying 27 strikeouts against only one walk. All four also made it through at least the fifth inning, with Nick Pivetta and Kutter Crawford each finishing six while Brayan Bello (84 pitches) and Garrett Whitlock (81 pitches) likely could have gone another frame if asked.
Boston’s four starters also deployed notably revamped pitching mixes, emphasizing their best pitches while sidelining their weaker offerings. That was a change promised by new pitching coach Andrew Bailey upon his arrival this past winter, and so far his program is getting tangible results.
Defense much improved
The starters aren’t the only one who have made clear progress, and there was a moment early on Opening Day that illustrated just how this year’s Red Sox team could separate itself from last year’s disappointing outfit. After Bello allowed a double and a single to put runners on the corners with one out in the bottom of the first, he drew a weak ground ball that Trevor Story and Enmanuel Valdez were able to turn into an impressive inning-ending double play.
Last year the Red Sox routinely botched plays like that, and instead of getting out of the inning unscathed the club frequently got burned by easily avoidable runs.
Those miscues had a compounding effect as well, because not only did they often lead to runs, but they also forced the pitchers to expend more effort getting out of the inning and often led to earlier exits overall. For example, Bello threw 17 pitches in the scoreless first, but had that double play attempt failed he might have wound up throwing closer to 25 or 30. Then maybe instead of allowing two runs over five innings, he gives up four over 3.2, putting the bullpen in a much tougher spot and significantly increasing the likelihood of a loss.
We saw plenty of other great defensive plays throughout the weekend too, and even after a handful of games it’s obvious what a difference having Story at shortstop and Ceddanne Rafaela in center field is going to make.
Devers the difference-maker
It goes without saying that Boston’s lineup is going to suffer when the guy who has a $300 million contract isn’t in it, but this weekend we saw just how big a difference Rafael Devers can make.
In the two games Devers was available, the third basemen went 3 for 10 with a home run and two RBI, helping the Red Sox to a pair of wins in which they collectively scored 11 runs. In the games he wasn’t available, the Red Sox offense collectively went 11 for 67 (.164) and at one point scored only one run over 18 innings before finally breaking through for two in the top of the 10th on Saturday night. The Red Sox lost both games.
A lot of that offensive futility can be attributed to Seattle’s excellent pitching staff, which should rank among the best in baseball again this season, but the best response to elite talent is elite talent of your own. Hopefully the shoulder issue that knocked Devers out of action for two days doesn’t prove to be a long-term hindrance, because the Red Sox can’t afford to be without him.
Mariners a measuring stick
This weekend offered the Red Sox an early opportunity to test themselves against a likely playoff contender. Few clubs can trot out a rotation featuring a trio as talented as Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, and the Mariners project to battle with the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros all season long.
If the Red Sox hope to make the playoffs, this is the kind of team they’ll need to be able to beat.
All things considered the Red Sox acquitted themselves well. Their pitching overwhelmed Seattle’s lineup throughout the weekend, and despite its struggles the offense got timely hits from both its veterans and newcomers alike. Tyler O’Neill in particular demonstrated his value with two home runs and some excellent outfield defense, and Enmanuel Valdez stepped up with a big three-run homer to break the game open in Sunday’s win.
Could this weekend have gone better? Sure! But given the low expectations many fans had coming in, it’s hard to find much worth complaining about.
Road gets easier
Things should get a lot easier for the Red Sox over the next few weeks. Boston’s next opponent, the Oakland Athletics, are widely regarded as the worst team in the majors, and after that they’ll finish their west coast swing against a diminished Los Angeles Angels club that seems destined to finish a distant fourth in the AL West.
Their first series at home against the Baltimore Orioles will be a tough one, but all told 15 of Boston’s 26 games in April will come against teams projected to finish below .500 according to FanGraphs, and another seven will be against a Cleveland Guardians team projected to finish 82-80.
The Red Sox should have a good opportunity to start the season strong, so it will be interesting to see how well they’re able to take advantage in the days and weeks to come.
